Last weekend, I went out west to visit with Two Sock Knitters, and another Sock Knitter, and a whole passel of contra dancers.  The University of Chicago hosted a fantastic dance weekend, complete with the fantastic bands Cosmic Otters and Nightingale, and the amazing callers Adina Gordon and George Marshall.  We went to tons of […]

I’ve been plotting a great trip out to Chicago for a dance weekend and visits with some wonderful friends, and I am giddy with excitement.  Giddy, I say! And in that spirit, I figured I should hop online to post some clogging cue sheets.  Kate’s Mare is one of the coolest clogging steps I know, […]

In footwork news: I taught a very informal clogging class for some friends Sunday, and it was an absolute hoot.  It felt great to be encouraging other folks to stomp about.  I think percussive dance is particularly appealing to folks with some strong tendencies towards rambunctiousness, and most of my friends could be described that […]

C is for Contra dance, and Clogging–two long-standing passions of mine (and two things that are downright tough to photograph). I haven’t talked about either enough here on the blog, because I’ve been dealing with a few chronic injuries over the last several years, and it’s been keeping me off the dance floor more than […]

Beltaine is the Irish word both for the month of May and for the festival that commemorates the height of spring.  Literally translated, it means “bright fire.”  I could talk about what Beltaine is all about, but I’ll just show you instead. First, Rowan, Etaine and I crossed the Potomac at White’s Ferry: And then […]

Writing a blog, I am often frustrated by either my failure to take the pictures I should or my inability to transmit certain sensations to all y’all.  I want you to be able to smell what I’m baking or cooking, or the flowers in my garden, or even my wet dog when he comes in […]